Minbar Burhan al-Din

The elaborate structure of Minbar Burhan al-Din, known also as the Summer Pulpit, stands immediately adjacent to the southern colonnade of the Dome of the Rock terrace. The first stage to be built, of which the foundation date is unknown, is a two-tiered structure built of beautifully carved stone. This initial stage was composed of an hexagonal domed pavilion superimposed on a sculptured base, with open lobbed arches on all four sides. This part was almost entirely composed by a Crusader sculpture. At this stage the structure was known as Qubbat al-Mizan (the Dome of Balance). Later, the southern arch was blocked by a buttressed wall, and the northern arch was concealed by the stone staircase added in the 14th century by Burhan al-Din to replace the wheeled wooden staircase. In addition, a mihrab, covered with marble plates, was built immediately to the east of the Summer Pulpit.